Thought for the Day

These verses in Proverbs tell us that the slothful or lazy person's property will be evidenced by the obvious neglect and lack of care that it shows. What does the word "slothful" mean? The dictionary33 tells us that it means "Disinclined to work or use exertion; lazy." Someone who is lazy will not take care of the things that belong to them. They are irresponsible. That is the reason they never will acquire an estate. Laziness is one of the things that produces poverty. (Of course, some people are born into poverty and it is not their fault they are in it; however, they do not have to stay in it. If they come to God, He will show them the way out of it by helping them to find a good job.) There is another scripture in Proverbs that tells us that a slothful person is a brother to one who is a great waster.

Solomon noted the evidence of laziness; fields overgrown with thorns and vineyards and stone walls in disrepair. Thorns and nettles choke whatever crop one plants, and overtake it (Matthew 13:7), making them very difficult to dislodge. Broken walls allow foxes (or enemies) to enter and spoil one's vineyard (Song of Solomon 2:15). Since agriculture was the main occupation in Biblical times, most Israelites owned fields and vineyards. Those who were poor workers reaped poor harvests. Though we have different "fields" of work today, the Biblical observations on slothfulness remain applicable. If we do a poor job, the results will be the same: both our performance record and income will be poor.

"He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster" (Proverbs 18:9). Because slothful people are self-serving, they neglect their responsibilities at work and perform poorly, wasting their employers' time and money. To the employer, this is like sustaining a loss because someone destroyed equipment. A godly person has a servant's heart and works well, as unto the Lord. "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Ephesians 6:5-7). Organized, efficient workers stand out and receive promotions. We can learn what not to do by observing how the laziness of others wastes time and resources.